ABSTRACT
Since the 1970s, First Nations people in urban areas in Australia have established organisations to actualise self-determination, deal with disenfranchisement, advocate for First Nations people, create better life outcomes for First Nations people, and improve wellbeing. For decades, these organisations led the way not only in First Nations social and health care but also in self-governance. However, the introduction of new public management policies with the hegemony of neoliberalism in Australian public policy in the past two decades has led to major changes in the way governments do business with urban First Nations organisations. This has involved a change in funding models and new forms of government monitoring, regulation, accreditation and governance training. The introduction of these market models has driven significant change in Indigenous service delivery in Australia, arguably to the detriment of community-controlled organisations. Yet, despite these external pressures to conform to settler-colonial systems of neoliberal governance, First Nations organisations continue to maintain their ethical commitments to Indigenous justice, self-determination and wellbeing. Drawing on four case studies, this chapter demonstrates the persistence and strategic orientations of First Nations organisations to maintain the foundational principles of their organisations to realise Indigenous justice within the settler-colonial state of Australia.
